Week 1 Streamers and Stashes

After a long off-season it’s finally here, it’s football season! Although your draft will provide the core of your fantasy rosters, it’s vital to constantly improve your roster, taking advantage of good match-ups and future opportunities. Every week, I’ll be bringing you an article answering two simple questions: who should I stream this week and who should I stash for the future?

To keep things simple, we’ll define a streamer as any player you wouldn’t usually start who is a viable option for this week. They may be on your bench or they may be on waivers, depending on your league. We’ll define a stash as any player you can probably find on waivers that you should stash for the future, either because they have a favorable match-up coming up, or because they could become a future fantasy starter.

Please also check out my rankings at ffdfantasyfootball.com and you can find my long-form videos on the Fantasy First Down Youtube channel and my Slot/Wide analysis on the Razzball Fantasy Youtube channel. If you have any questions, throw them in the comments below.

QB Streamers:

Baker Mayfield (TB): The Commanders have an excellent interior D-line and a mediocre secondary meaning they’ll likely remain a defense you want to attack through the air. Baker Mayfield gets first crack at them. He was last year’s shock QB9 so there’s plenty of upside here in Week 1.

Jared Goff (DET): Jared Goff was another surprise package last season, logging a career high QB8 finish. In Week 1 he gets one of the league’s best QB matchups in the Rams making him a viable starting option.

QB Stashes:

Kirk Cousins (ATL): If you missed the top 8-9 quarterbacks, you’ll want to roster a second quarterback in Week 1 just to give you options. My favorite backup is Kirk Cousins as I believe this Falcons offense could be a real surprise this season. I wouldn’t necessarily want to start him Week 1 against the Steelers but the season-long upside is huge with Cousins’ long history of fantasy success and elite offensive cast.

Caleb Williams (CHI): The Bears have put a fantastic group of players around their new rookie quarterback, maximising his chances of success. But booming as a rookie in the NFL is more easily said than done. I believe in Williams’ talent but I need to see him perform at the next level before placing him in my lineup.

RB Streamers:

Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin (DEN): The Seahawks were a fantastic running back matchup last season, conceding the most rushing touchdowns, the second-most rushing yards and the third-most RB fantasy points. If you rostered Javonte Williams, he’s a viable starter this week. If you went zero-RB, I can also see an argument for starting Jaleel McLaughlin as we don’t know what this touch distribution will look like but we can be pretty confident that in this matchup, with a rookie quarterback, the Broncos run game will be a heavy focus.

Ty Chandler (MIN): The Giants defense were also particularly susceptible on the ground last season and I suspect we’ll see a little more Ty Chandler than most expect this season. Chandler is far from a strong start, but if you’re desperate for a starting RB, there’s a chance you can pick up Chandler and get some solid value from him.

Samaje Perine (KC): This is an absolute desperation option, but with Clyde Edwards-Helaire on IR, Samaje Perine is likely the Chiefs backup. It’s also possible (though not likely) that he takes on the valuable Jerick McKinnon role this season. This is very much the bottom of the barrel, but he’s available in most leagues so if you’ve run out of options, here’s one for you.

RB Stashes:

Rico Dowdle (DAL): Last year my Week 1 running back stash was Jaylen Warren. This year I’ve got an equivalent option. Rico Dowdle is the speed option to the plodding Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas and, with Zeke’s age, I wouldn’t put it past Dowdle to take the lead role within a few weeks. The Cowboys’ Week 1 matchup isn’t particularly appetising against the Browns so he’s more of a stash and see option for now though.

Running backs get injured more than any other player in fantasy, with the average Top 36 running back missing two games per season in fantasy. For that reason, your best bet in fantasy is to roster running backs who are an injury away from an every down role. Each week, I’ll be listing my favorite RB stashes, only including players you won’t be starting most weeks.

Top Handcuffs: Blake Corum, Ray Davis, Tyler Allgeier, Tank Bigsby, Bucky Irving, Zach Charbonnet, Antonio Gibson, Alexander Mattison, Jordan Mason

WR Streamers:

Jakobi Meyers (LV): The Raiders take on a porous Chargers secondary and Jakobi Meyers returns to the slot this season, where he has had his most fantasy success. He was the WR28 last season and now he arguably gets a QB upgrade, at least for fantasy. He’s my surprise start for the week and he’ll be available in most 10-team leagues.

Ray-Ray McCloud (ATL): The Falcons are expected to use the Rams system which has a league-high 3WR rate. McCloud may be the third guy in this offense but I expect he’ll also get a lot of targets, as he’s done when starting for the 49ers over the years. In PPR, he’s a solid deep start if you’re desperate.

Wan’Dale Robinson (NYG): Another deep PPR option, Wan’Dale Robinson will likely be a little more involved in Malik Nabers’ debut. Most teams favor passing against the Vikings making this a solid matchup too. He’s not my favorite streamer but he’s better than everyone else likely on waivers.

WR Stashes:

Dontayvion Wicks (GB): No player has more upside than Dontayvion Wicks. If your bench is strong and you’re looking for upside, Wicks is your guy as a talented receiver with plenty of upside if the right injuries hit Green Bay. In deeper leagues he’ll have been drafted (and way too early) but in shallow leagues he’s likely on waivers making him a more viable option.

Mack Hollins (BUF): I think there’s a very good chance that Mack Hollins is the starting outside receiver opposite Keon Coleman in Buffalo. In an offense screaming out for receiving weapons, Hollins could just surprise a lot of people. He’s worth stashing, particularly in deeper leagues, just in case.

Greg Dortch (ARI): Buffalo’s opponent in Week 1 also has a surprise starter in Greg Dortch. With Zay Jones suspended, Dortch will get the WR3 job in Arizona. That doesn’t sound exciting but we’ve seen Dortch have some real boom weeks when given the opportunity. He’s worth stashing and seeing in deeper leagues.

TE Streamers:

Taysom Hill (NO): The Panthers are particularly susceptible on the ground meaning we could see a regular diet of not only Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams but also Taysom Hill. Hill has lined up all over the formation during the pre-season but I expect there’s a good chance he’ll be at his goal-line thieving best in Week 1. He’s a good, sneaky start, especially in half-PPR and non-PPR leagues.

Noah Fant (SEA): The Broncos have been a very generous TE matchup for some time now and Noah Fant is primed to be the main beneficiary in Week 1. Many will be turned off the former TE12 given his annoying committee usage in 2023 but Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson are gone and there’s a new play-caller in town. Fant is the guy and should be involved enough to stream him if you’re badly short at tight end in Week 1.

TE Stashes:

Hunter Henry (NE): I don’t trust anything about this Patriots system in 2024, but I know that Hunter Henry could be their most accomplished receiver. I’m not willing to start him yet but he’s a great bench stash just to wait and see what happens.

Colby Parkinson (LAR): The Rams tight end has at times been an enviable fantasy asset, though that wasn’t the case for much of last season. With Tyler Higbee unavailable for much of the year, Colby Parkinson takes over the starting role and I think he could be sneakily good for fantasy if it all comes together. Don’t start him this week, but stash him and wait.

K Streamers:

Cairo Santos (CHI): Cairo Santos was a very quiet K6 last season and he gets a Week 1 matchup against the NFL’s easiest kicker opponent in the Titans. This is why we stream kickers!

Ka’imi Fairbairn (HOU): The Colts are a good kicker matchup and Fairbairn has some serious leg talent. If he’s available, and he may not be, this is a great streaming option.

DST Streamers:

Vikings DST (MIN): The Vikings defense was quietly impressive last season and they’ve added Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and 1^st-round draft pick Dallas Turner to their pass rushing rotation this season. The matchup against the Giants is one of the league’s best. I love them in Week 1.

Bengals DST (CIN): The Bengals DST is mediocre at best, but the Patriots look like they’ll be awful this season. I suspect that you’ll be able to get DST1 production just by streaming the Pats’ opponents each week. Start the Cincy defense with confidence.

Please note I won’t be listing any kicker or DST stashes as you should never roster more than one of either of these positions.